South Western Open: Abbas Halts Fiechter

World No.22 Nada Abbas continued her giant-killing run at the South Western Open Presented by Cotidié as she ended a three-match winless run against USA’s Olivia Fiechter at the Houston Squash Club.

Fiechter got the better of Abbas last month in the second round of the Paris Squash event, but the Egyptian was on form in Houston as she turned the tables to seal an 11-6, 11-4, 11-7 win.

Abbas had already beaten Fiechter’s compatriot Olivia Clyne in the previous round and picked up where she left off against the No.5 seed, showcasing her solid length hitting and producing some accurate winners at the front of the court to take the opening game.

The second game was quite scrappy with the referee being called into action more often than in the first, but Abbas was able to keep her focus and picked Fiechter off with some smart winners.

Five of the first six points went Abbas’s way in the third as she kept up the pressure on her opponent. Fiechter was able to reel her back in as chinks began to appear in the armour of the Egyptian. But she kept her composure at the back end of the third to set up a last four battle with a third American in a row – No.2 seed Amanda Sobhy.

“I’m really happy to be through. I played Olivia [Fiechter] four times last season and we just played in Paris and she won in five tough games so I was really fired up and I’m just so happy to be through.

“I think I was more steady today and took is step by step. I tried to focus on the small patches in the match and win those instead of thinking too far ahead. 

“There’s no pressure on me tomorrow. I am an unseeded player so all the pressure is on Amanda. I’ll just try and play my game to the best of my ability and see what I can do.”

Result

Nada Abbas (EGY) bt [3] Olivia Fiechter (USA) 3-0: 11-6, 11-4, 11-7 (42m)